System of a Down! Finally I made it to one of their shows. I remember last year in November I had a chat with friends about which bands we would love to see live. I said seeing SOAD would be amazing. Next day they announced their “Wake Up The Souls” – Tour. Coincidence? Maybe. Or do I have magic powers? In that case: Smashing Pumpkins!!!

Uhm… anyway. Since they only had few tour dates with just one show in Germany, I had the feeling it might be difficult to get my hands on a ticket. And I was right. I took the day off as the tickets went on sale. I sat there with 3 laptops (again!!!) just to make sure to get a ticket. I was lucky to get one, the whole show sold out within 13 minutes. It was insane.

So why do SOAD go on tour this year, why is it called “Wake Up The Souls”? Their cause is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. About 1.5 million Armenians died in these events which up to this day are not fully recognised by the Turkish government. The band members, being of Armenian origin themselves, want to raise awareness on the Armenian genocide and on other similar events happening all around the world, while the world is looking away, leaving the victims to their fate. To learn more about “Wake Up The Souls” go to www.systemofadown.com.

To introduce the audience to their cause, they showed short comic-like video-clips during the show. The first one told the history of the Armenian genocide and how governments worked together hand in hand to cover it up. The second video stated how the genocide served as kind of a blueprint to following events like the Holocaust. The message of the third video was that genocide is not something out of our history books. It is still happening, in this very moment, it is real. The videos divided the show into three parts with changing stage scenery. At first, there was the classic band logo, during the second part there were snow-covered mountains and in the end you could see a hand reaching out. The concept of the show was very well thought out and the message was strong.

Now the show itself. At first we all had to be patient… very patient. The show was scheduled to beginn at 8pm. Since there was no support band, everyone expected System of a Down to show up at 8. Well, they didn’t. They were 40 minutes late. But once they were on stage, everything was forgotten. It was not as good as I expected. It was better, way better! These guys are AMAZING!!! To all of my friends who envy me because I made it to the show: ENVY ME!!! It was so f*cking GREAT!!!!

Although the tour promoted a very serious cause, the band was so much fun on stage. If you like to see some killer dance moves, Daron Malakian is your man. He will also kindly tell you when to form a circle pit. If you have trouble understanding the lyrics, Serj is there to help you out by miming the context of the song and to tell you when to clap your hands. Fun fact: Chop Suey is always a good occasion. And if you have no idea how to move at all, just take a look at Mr. Shavo “Epic Beard” Odadjian. He’ll show you what to do. Go to “System of a Down” and you’ll never get lost. “Everybody’s going to the party, have a real good time in Cologne!” according to Serj.

The band played their biggest hits alongside many other songs througout their repertoire. After playing “Cubert”, Daron said: “This song is called ‘Cubert’. If you know System of a Down, you probably know it. If you’re more like listening to the radio, you might know this one…” And then they played “Hypnotize”. Did I mention how much fun they are on stage? They really are. If you ever get a chance to see them live, do it. Because if you don’t, you’re missing out on a great band and an epic show. I recorded a short video, trying to capture the great atmosphere. Please excuse the poor quality, I just couldn’t stand still.

At the end of the show Serj thanked the audience for showing up and supporting their cause. There was no encore but the setlist was really long anyway. They played a very powerfull show for two straight hours. What Serj and Daron do with their voices is just incredible. I enjoyed every minute of it. Rumour has it there will be a new album by the end of this or the beginning of next year. I’m really hoping this is true and they will announce another tour. If they do, I’m so gonna be there!